Beurre Blanc — Ariane Carde Design

BEURRE BLANC

Interlocking ceramic tableware

Product
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Casted porcelain ceramic | Colored slip clay
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2025
Ceramics Laboratory Aalto University
Helsinki
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Building Block Exhibition | Helsinki 2025

From the ceramics of my childhood, the ones that stayed with me were never just defined by craftsmanship or functionality, but by the stories they carried. My grandfather’s butter tray, plain and almost unremarkable, stood out precisely because it became part of our family rituals. It was a silent witness to countless meals, conversations, and memories, proof that value comes not from rarity, but from emotional connection.

This project begins with an idea: How can we design objects that invite care, attachment, and ultimately longevity? Instead of treating tableware as disposable or replaceable, the collection reimagines the butter tray as a playful, modular set that encourages interaction. Its stackable forms, tactile textures, and vibrant yet familiar colors are not just design choices, but tools for memory-making. By engaging the senses (touch, sight), the rhythm of assembling and disassembling makes the set more than functional. It becomes personal.

At the heart of this work lies the idea of emotional sustainability. In a culture that often prioritizes efficiency and novelty, objects are too easily replaced. Yet the things we keep, the ones that follow us through moves, generations, and changing tastes, are those that we form attachments to. Emotional sustainability is about creating designs that resist disposability. They resonate with us because they remind us of people, places, and shared experiences.

The butter tray collection is rooted in this principle. It is playful to adapt to different uses, sturdy and made to last, and poetic enough to invite memory. Each piece carries a palette drawn from the ceramics of my childhood, connecting past and present. The raw porcelain exterior offers a tactile honesty, while the colorful details and interiors create small moments of discovery. Together, they remind us that even the simplest rituals, such as spreading butter on bread or passing a plate across the table, can carry the weight of memory and meaning.

By weaving narrative, interaction, and durability into the design, this project reflects on how objects can do more than serve us: they can anchor us. They become keepsakes, storytellers, and quiet companions in the rhythm of everyday life.